Childhood Promise
by Seductive Venus
Summary: Sakura Haruno is torn between staying and quitting her job. If only her boss wasn't so hot... AU. Theme from SasuSaku Month.


Title: Childhood Promise  
>Author: angels_archives<br>Series: Naruto  
>Rating: K+<br>Genre: Romance  
>Status: Complete<br>Themes: #1 "What are you so desperate for?"

Sakura Haruno hated company parties. She looked around the hall to see if anyone noticed her uneasiness. Nobody did. They all looked relaxed enough to chat up the different members from different departments. She suddenly wished that she was home with a tub of strawberry ice cream and a good dramatic movie.

A sigh escaped her pretty lips. She knew that parties were a part of her job. As the secretary of the CEO, she was supposed to be charming, approachable and most of all, visible. Her boss wasn't the most sociable man in the world so he required her to smooth ruffled feathers and to promote team spirit. She really wanted to please her boss but she wasn't very good at this. Ino might win if I'm not careful, she thought sadly. Ino was always good at public relations…

"What's wrong with you?"

She blinked when she realized that she was staring off into space. Emerald green eyes landed on the smirking face of her beautiful rival, Ino Yamanaka. She glared. "None of your business, Ino-chan."

"My, aren't we in a bitchy mood?" Her best friend of ten years said slyly. Blue eyes looked at her with mock innocence. Ino knew her inside

out. She can't escape her verbal darts. "Why are you here? You should be out there to do your job."

"It's none of your business on what I do with my time," Sakura said, stung.

"I pity poor Sasuke-kun for wasting so much money on a useless secretary," Ino remarked. She shrugged elegantly before sauntering away. "I wish he hired me. I would serve him body and soul…"

Sakura bit her lip to stop herself from replying. Angry green eyes stared at Ino's sexy body encased in a tight black dress. Everyone knew that Ino was much better suited to the job than her. But he chose me, she thought smugly.

She shook her head. No, she couldn't give up! Not when she was so close to the person she loved. It was a matter of life and death for her. She couldn't quit her job.

Since she was a fresh college graduate, she sent out her applications to different companies with hopes of getting hired. Her first love worked in the cutthroat corporate world. She believed that she would be closer to him if she worked in the same industry. To her immense surprise, she got a call from his company's HR department asking if she was interested in becoming his secretary.

The pink-haired girl could still remember the day that she went in for the interview. She was so nervous that she couldn't eat breakfast. The head of the HR department was so nice and engaging that she inevitably relaxed to show off her wit, intelligence and flexibility. Her credentials were perfect; her recommendations were superb. She only needed to pass this interview so she could step closer to her goal.  
>"We're looking for someone dedicated and ready to do his bidding," said the woman in front of her. "Uchiha-san is not that difficult to work for but he is a perfectionist."<p>

"I'm meticulous and detail-oriented," Sakura said confidently. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard his name said aloud. She was so close!

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. The two women looked at the doorway to see a tall and handsome young man enter the room. Sakura clenched her hands to keep her composure. Her childhood friend, Sasuke Uchiha, was looking directly at her.

"Is this her?" The CEO of the company asked coolly. His employee nodded and gestured towards Sakura. "I'll take the interview from here. You may leave us."

The dark-haired young man watched the older woman leave the room before turning to her. He was more handsome than ever. She couldn't keep her eyes off him. His presence was full of confidence and authority.

She supposed that it was to be expected from the heir of the multinational Uchiha Group. They hadn't seen each other in more than ten years. She had to tell herself to calm down to remove the fear that he didn't remember her anymore.

"I know you," he said quietly. His dark eyes stared at her face intensely as though he was trying to summon a memory. "Didn't we go to the same primary school?"

Sakura's heart leaped. She smiled widely. "Yes, it's me, Uchiha-kun. It's Sakura."

His eyes darkened for a moment. Then he nodded with a cool smile. "I remember now. You've grown up. What are you doing here? Are you applying as my secretary?"

Pink colored her cheeks. Feeling shy, she nodded. It's the only way for me to be close to you.

"I see. When Shizuno-san said that she's got an overqualified employee with extraordinary pink hair… I thought it would be you." Sasuke Uchiha got up from the desk and headed towards the door. His cool tone and professional demeanor didn't change. "You're hired. You'll start on Monday. Don't be late, Haruno-san."

She sat in the chair, stunned. Working for Sasuke Uchiha- her childhood love- would prove more difficult than she thought. 

The cherry blossom shook her head to clear her thoughts. She returned her attention towards the party. It was boring. There weren't any interesting people to talk to. It was Ino's drive to be the life of the party that made her good at it.

She went to get a drink from the bar. If her boss doesn't arrive in ten minutes, she was going to leave. There was no sense in wasting her time looking pretty without him to see.

Working in a large and exciting city was a dream for most of the young women in their village. It was a mark of success. She knew that she was actually wasting her talents as his secretary but she didn't care. The pay might be crappy, the days might be long and the job might be tedious but she didn't care. It meant that she was close to Sasuke and that was everything that mattered.

They used to be childhood friends in the village of Konoha. They were playmates and classmates in the same primary school. When a tragedy struck Sasuke's parents that caused them to die, he was taken away from the village to be reared by his grandparents. He had run away to her house just to say goodbye.

"I'll be back, don't worry." Sasuke had said. "I'll come back to marry you, Sakura-chan!"

That was the last time that she saw him.

They lost contact throughout the years. Sakura grew up in the same sleepy little town. She waited for him to come back but he never did. Her heart longed for him constantly but she couldn't leave until she graduated from the local community college. Luck was on her side when she saw Sasuke on television on the day of her graduation.

He was recognized as the heir of his clan's company. Sakura's heartbeats accelerated as she noted the changes that the years had brought to him. And she realized that her feelings never changed.

That explained her desperation to do her job well. She couldn't leave him without knowing if he still returned her feelings.

"Haruno-san," came a voice from behind.

She jumped. Turning around, she nearly spilled her pink Cosmopolitan on her boss's expensive white shirt. Smiling uneasily, she steadied herself. "Uchiha-san!" said his secretary chirpily. "I thought you've gone home already."

"Grandfather sent me to grab an award," replied Sasuke stiffly. His eyebrow rose at the alcoholic drink on her hand. "If you weren't so busy being tipsy, you would have noticed."

Her blush intensified. "I'm sorry. I didn't notice. Is there anything I can get you?"

Sasuke looked at her strangely. He turned to the bartender and ordered, "A Scotch on the rocks, please."

When he got his drink, the dark-haired man turned to her. "You're off-duty and you're still asking me that. Are you a workaholic or something?"

Sakura looked down at her hands. She couldn't believe that he was actually talking to her. After seven months of enduring stiff and formal conversations in the office, she didn't think that he would talk to her normally. It unnerved her. Sasuke was her love but he was also her boss. The contradiction put her under considerable stress constantly.

He didn't need to look around to notice the curious looks that his employees were giving him. Everyone tried to look busy but they were eavesdropping. He said loudly, "I've got some paperwork for you, Haruno-san. I'll excuse you from the party in the meantime."

They walked towards the exit together. Ignoring the curious and envious looks of the crowd, they kept up their indifferent façade until they reached the hallway. Neither of them noticed that they were still carrying drinks and it was deadly quiet outside.

"Are you all right?" he asked after several beats.

Sakura's head snapped up. Was that concern? She was beginning to believe that Sasuke was indifferent towards her feelings. That must be why he hadn't shown any interest towards her. "I'm fine," she said weakly.

"You're scared of me," said the Uchiha in a wondering tone.

She bit her lip. Her whole body was shaking.

"I've been watching you, Haruno-san. You're a hard worker and very reliable. But you don't enjoy your job. Is there something that I should know about?" Sasuke's voice was soft but clear. He looked really concerned. She bit her lip harder. Perhaps he was only saying that because he was preparing her for the worst. Maybe he was about to fire her…

"Please don't fire me," Sakura said softly. "I really like my job. Please don't fire me!"  
>Sasuke looked surprised. He stared at her with his dark midnight eyes before nodding. In a low voice, he asked. "What are you so desperate for? You're more talented than this, Haruno. Why are you saying that you love your job when you clearly hate it?"<p>

She swallowed. Her emerald green eyes were full of tears. It was over. She knew that much. It was truly over for her. "You," she said shakily. "I'm desperate for you."

His eyes widened. For several moments, neither of them could speak. They could hear the drunken revelries in the door behind them and their heartbeats on their ears. In the harsh light of the hallway, they could see what had changed and what hadn't. Yet neither of them saw the bond that still held them close to each other.

"Is that why you're here?"

Sakura didn't speak. She couldn't meet his eyes.

"Is that why you applied as my secretary? You're so transparent, Haruno. I knew it the moment I saw you. You're just doing this to be near me." Sasuke's voice had a hint of amusement. "You didn't do a good job, though."

Her heart was breaking. I will leave you tomorrow, she swore in her head. I'm going to forget that promise!

Sasuke reached forward and touched her cheek. She was always so smooth and so soft under his touch. To her intense surprise, he kissed her.

It was an eternity. It was a moment. They wished that it will never end. When it did, she stared up at him with more tears in her beautiful eyes. A single word escaped her lips. "Why?"

"Because I don't want you to go," he replied. "I've been waiting for you too…"

Sakura was suddenly wrapped in his arms. She didn't know if she should laugh or she should cry. She had been so desperate for his attention and his acknowledgment that she didn't believe that she would actually get it. Now here she was.

"I keep my promises, Sakura." He whispered in her ear. "I'll marry you so you can quit attending my company parties."

For the first time in that night, she laughed. "I've waited for you for a long time to say that."


End file.
